 Welcome to the blog! Please join me in visiting with DK Coutant regarding her experiences in writing, her reading habits, and her first cozy mystery, EVIL ALICE AND THE BORZOI. Good morning, Dawna. Before we begin the interview, please tell us something about your background.  Bio: DK Coutant graduated from Davidson College with a Psychology degree, and applied her behavioral training at Sea World, training dolphins and whales. Realizing that scrubbing fish buckets might get old, she went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her academic career began at the University of Southern Maine before DK made the jump to the University of Hawaii at Hilo rising to Department Chair of the Psychology Department. After many happy years in Hawaii, DK made the move out of academics to become a professional geopolitical forecaster for GJP, Inc ( https://goodjudgment.com/Inc ) and INFER ( https://www.infer-pub.com/). Evil Alice and the Borzoi is her first work of fiction published by The Wild Rose Press. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “That’s a tough one. I threw everything but the kitchen sink into my bio. But okay, here’s one... We have an Old English Sheepdog puppy. She is seven months old and named Beasley. Most people guess she was named after the talking doll from the 1960s, but that is not the case. My husband and I are big fans of David Beasley, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program. One night after seeing him being interviewed on PBS we added Beasley to the top of our puppy name list. When I met the puppy in person, Beasley was the only name she responded to, and she has been Beasley ever since.” Author Contacts: Website: https://www.dkcoutant.com/ Twitter: @dkCoutant Instagram: @DKCandDog INTERVIEW: JLB: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? DKC: I am traditionally published with Wild Rose Press. I had queried more than 150 agents, with some full requests but no success. I then started on publishers that would accept queries directly from authors. My full-request ratio was much higher with the small publishers than with agents. But just as I was exploring the self-publishing option, I got my contract offer. Because this was my first work of fiction, I wanted some professionals with more experience than me to guide me through the process. I lost some control, but I believe ultimately the final product is better than it would have been if I had put it together on my own. JLB: Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable? DKC: I’ve tried both. I have a local critique group that I enjoy. Most of them write memoir, but they are people who love writing and we learn a lot from each other. I also love a good beta reader though for specific help and guidance on my 2nd or 3rd draft manuscripts. I have several that have been generous with their time and keen insights on what I’ve gotten wrong. I don’t know what I’d do without them. JLB: How important do you think writing and reading are in today’s world? DKC: Critical. Reading allows us to experience other cultures and life experiences. There was some research that it can help build empathy in kids. (I’ll find the citation if you want) When I taught Cross Cultural Psychology one requirement of the course was to find a book from a culture other than their own and read it, then report on the how that culture was different than their own. I loved reading those reports and I think my students enjoyed writing them. That’s why I am excited the publishing industry is opening up to new voices from new backgrounds. JLB: How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors? DKC: Gosh. It depends on the month but probably 7-8. I usually have 2 novels going at a time, One I read on my ipad, so I can read at night and not wake up my husband. Those are also great for travel because my TBR list are already downloaded on it. But I miss the smell of a real book, so I also have a hard copy (usually paperback) that I read during road trips in the car or if I have any free time during the day to curl up with a book for an hour. I read pretty widely, including select non-fiction, but my go-to genres are mysteries, paranormal, and fantasy. I just finished The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty and that trilogy was amazing. And I’m currently in the middle of the latest Inspector Bruno mystery by Martin Walker. And starting Julie Mulhern’s latest Poppy Fields mystery. I also love Michael Chabon and Amor Towles. JLB: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? DKC: Cleo Cooper has another adventure in front of her. Instead of the beaches of Hawaii, she will be hitting the ski slopes near Santa Fe and solving a murder, of course. I’m heavy into editing now but hope to submit the manuscript to publishers by late spring. JLB: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? DKC:
JLB: Thank you for visiting the blog, Dawna. Before we finish, please show us your featured book.  EVIL ALICE AND THE BOIZOI (A Cleo Cooper Mystery) Genre: cozy mystery Paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay. Cleo Cooper is shaken when she finds her favorite student is on the hook for the murder. Danger lurks on land and sea as Cleo and her friends are enticed to search for the true killer. In between paddling, swimming, and arguing with her boyfriend, Cleo discovers all is not what it seems on the Big Island of Hawaii. But will she figure out the truth before she becomes the next victim? Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Alice-Borzoi-Cooper-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BS4JKGKS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676220929&sr=8-1 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/evil-alice-and-the-borzoi-dk-coutant/1142929587?ean=2940186721369 Pop over to my Ally Shields blog for an Excerpt included with the Book Spotlight on Evil Alice and the Borzoi: Click HERE. The Brooklyn North Murder Genre: Mystery Rating: PG-13 A hi-flying investor determined to make sleepy Morgansburg NY a tech hub, vanishes from the middle of a lake during a triathlon. Mary Watson, a university librarian and computer genius, has to solve the mystery with the help of her Artificial Intelligence program “Doyle.” Buy Links: The Cloak and Dagger: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/18583571?ean=9781940442457 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-North-Murders-Novel/dp/1940442451 B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/1142642951?ean=9781940442457 Excerpt: CHAPTER ONE Custody of the Eyes Custody of the eyes. Up until now, it had been an abstract concept I had associated with the medieval and theology sections of the library where I worked. Now, it was a practical challenge. Who knew how hard it could be not to look at the tiny red Speedo being worn by the man who had pulled me close for our Triathlon Team Photo? Only a year ago, this triathlon had been the Morgansburg Annual Fun Run that had consisted of a single lap of Battlefield Bluff. Now it was the Billings Sprint Challenge Series, and had apparently attracted the combined populations of Brooklyn and Poughkeepsie via a social media campaign that had pronounced it one of the ten summer events in the Hudson Valley not to be missed. The transformation – excuse me, rebranding – was also the reason why I was shivering by the edge of an icy lake at the ungodly hour of eight in the morning, trying not to examine the all too evident assets that a hedge fund manager named Cam Billings was scarcely hiding beneath an entirely indecent red Speedo. I was not wearing a swimsuit – or even a wetsuit, as the other competitors were. I had managed to weasel my way out of the swim by claiming a rotator cuff injury, and so was wearing running tights and a reasonably warm wind shirt. It’s not that I can’t swim – a summer camp instructor who fancied herself a Navy SEAL had made sure of that. But that statement only holds true if you consider the dog paddle a recognized stroke of the U.S.A. Swimming Association. I’m not particularly good with bicycles either. But as the hot tech star destined to transform Morgansburg, N.Y. into the next Silicon Valley, I was expected to represent De Sales College, and so I was taking on the last leg of the College Relay Team. All that was required of me was the same brisk shuffle around Battlefield Bluff as last year’s Fun Run. Paul Morgan flanked me as we locked arms for the camera. He was wearing a pair of bicycling shorts that did little more to disguise his assets than Cam’s had. But I didn’t have to imagine what lay beneath that thin, Lycra barrier. Paul and I had dated during our first year at Yale, back in the days when having sex seemed to be the done thing. Victorian brides were taught to lie back and think of England on their wedding. I lay back and rehearsed conjugations and declensions in my head in order to pass the time. Our relationship fizzled out somewhere around the Greek Middle Voice. That didn’t stop him from grabbing me in a bear hug as he said, “Look, after the swim, I need to be ready to tag in at the changing area. So can you go ahead and get some video of Cam when he comes out of the water for our real time followers?” “Real time followers?” I grumbled to Doyle. “Who would really sit down and watch this in real time on their phone? My mother?” “I regret to inform you that Helen Watson is not among the 12,467 subscribers to the Sprint Series webcast,” Doyle informed me. “It was a rhetorical question.” My mother was not what you’d call a doting parent. When I presented her with a copy of my published dissertation, she had asked, “What do you want me to do with this?” The response I squelched was unprintable. Okay, so I was complaining to my phone. Pretty weird, I suppose – at least if you’ve been living off the grid for the past five years. Some people talk to Siri. Some talk to Alexa. Hell, my ninety-year-old grand-mother binge drinks Cosmopolitans with them while they cheat at online bridge. So, sue me if I talk to Doyle. Granted, Doyle was different from those virtual assistants he dismissed as “the Code Girls.” For one thing, the Girls simply crawled the web and retrieved information. Doyle didn’t crawl. He extrapolated. Or as Doyle would put it, the Code Girls were artificial intelligence; he was the real thing. I’m not quite so sure. For one thing, I’m the one that programmed Doyle. I know where the bodies are buried – or to put it in programmer-speak, I am aware of a few significant glitches that need working out. Primary among them is the fact that Doyle is a complete and utter ass.  About the Author: Erica Obey is the author of The Brooklyn North Murder, the first full-length Watson & Doyle mystery, as well as five other novels set in the Hudson Valley, including the award-winning The Curse of the Braddock Brides. Erica is the Past President of the MWA-NY chapter, and a frequent reviewer and judge. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and published academic work on female folklorists before she decided she’d rather be writing the stories herself. Something unusual/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: "I can show you how to make Christmas ornaments out of egg cartons and old copies of the Reader’s Digest. (Okay, I didn’t grow up in Lake Woebegon, but it was close.)" Author Contacts: Website: www.ericaobey.com FB/IG: @Erica Obey (personal), @EricaObeyAuthor (page) Twitter: @EricaObey Be sure not to miss the interview with Erica Obey on my Ally Shields blog: |
AuthorJ L Buck writes in the mystery genre, currenty enthralled with Regency-era England. She is multi-published in paranormal 
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